Step 4: Start Bending and Welding and Grinding and More Grinding

Step 5: Conclusion

There are many different ways to do a job like this. I have given a very brief and deliberately vague outline of the method I chose, hoping that this ...

I really enjoy turning scrap steel into objects that some people might find beautiful.

The first picture shows a few of my pieces. I normally give my work away to friends, or trade it for something completely different that, for example, a friend has created.

I have had some success using flat steel plate to make three-dimensional objects. In this Instructible I will attempt to share the process so others might enjoy the experience too. I don't intend to provide a pattern so you can make an identical object - I'm sure you will want something unique. I will simply outline the steps I take so you can see how easy it is.

Step 1: Inspiration and Planning

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Sometimes I can spend hours staring at image searches on the web. Sometimes I can walk into my workshop and just start making. This time I had a pair of old Chinese jars and I stole their proportions.

Working with flat steel it helps to choose a design that can be broken down into a series of flat planes.

In this case I measured my old jars and drew a simple 3D sketch in AutoCAD. It looked OK so I then drew all the faces on the one plane trying to lay them out to minimise the required cutting. There were only three shapes; the hexagon base, and two trapeziums (I think they are trapezoids in US) making up the tapered sides and the shoulders.

Of course it's just as good to use a pen a ruler, or even trace the outline of the object.

Since I could only print in A4 I decided to only print those three shapes - joined as they would be making up the base and one side of the pot. I cut out the print with scissors and used that for my template.

Thanks Cozmic, I'm glad you liked it.You only have to score the folds lightly - less than 10% of the thickness of the plate. It really is a matter of just running the cutting disc along the lines. You will find it takes a lot more effort to actually cut through the plate. Practice on an off-cut and you will soon get the hang of it.When you make one please share the results.

By the way. Would you consider voting for this in The Metal Challenge? Please do.

Have you ever considered heating the edges you want to fold with a torch so it folds easier and possibly reduce the the chance of bending the wrong part? I'm not a metal worker; I just thought I'd ask.

It's fairly easy to use an oxy-acetylene torch to heat your plate along a line and then bend it right at that point, but heating it that much will affect the look of the metal significantly, so take that into account. I actually don't know if the change goes all the way through or is just surface and can be ground off; I will have to do some experimentation to see.

I have an easy answer for you. the COLOR change is a very shallow surface change.the annealing(or hardening, depending on what type of steel it is) goes all the way through.

any color change can easily be ground/sanded/polished off.but if you're going to do that, be prepared to do the whole visible surface.trust me when I say, for almost every piece ever made, raw metal with ground edges looks bad.I HAVE seen a few exceptions, but you have to either have a very happy accident, or plan forthe texture change very carefully.

Man, this is pretty cool! I recently had some experience in welding, and it seems pretty simple and straight forward! I might try this.... Thanks for the inspiration! It's amazing all the things people come up with!!!

Always nice to see someone working with steel, brings back memory,s. Nice touch using floor plate instead of plane mild steel. You could also use aluminium floor plate for pieces to sit outside without rusting. Suppose it depends also on your welder, DC/AC.. Good job.

These pieces are all lovely! If I knew anything at all about welding (yet - learning that skill is in my bucket list) I'd be on this like white on rice. Thanks for the great I'ble. One question: what is "tacking"?

I will preface this by saying I'm not a welder, though I wish to become one some day in the future, and I'm vaguely familiar with some of the terminology.

I believe tacking is where you do a small spot weld that holds the pieces together enough that you can manipulate the whole thing without it coming apart, but isn't a full proper weld that joins the whole length of the, uh, seam? I don't know if seam is the right word, but I'm sure you get the idea.

If you look at the 4th picture in Step 4, I think that's an example of a tack (you can see the small weld at one end of the seam, but the rest of it is not actually joined together yet).

thanks.It's amazing what turns up if you keep your eyes open, but failing that you could try asking for offcuts at an engineering place or even buy some new steel.If you do make one be sure to share an image with us.